Hinduism in Sindh

Hinduism is the second-largest religion in Sindh, numbering 4.9 million people and comprising 8.8 percent of the province's population in the 2023 Pakistani census. Sindh has the largest population and the highest percentage of Hindus in Pakistan. Sindh has the Shri Ramapir Temple, whose annual festival is the country's second-largest Hindu festival (after the Hinglaj Yatra).

History

The region and its rulers play an important role in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. Hinduism and Buddhism were the predominant religions in Sindh before the arrival of Islam, when a number of Hindu castes and communities occupied the region. Many ancient Hindu temples still exist; many Hindu dynasties, including the Gupta, Pala, Kushan and Hindu Shahis, ruled the region before Muhammad ibn Qasim led the Umayyad army in the Islamic conquest of Sindh. The region still had a Hindu majority, but repeated campaigns and persecution by the Delhi Sultanate led to a gradual decrease in the Hindu population and an increased number of Muslims. Hindus were a minority in the region at the time of the Mughal Empire. After the formation of Pakistan, most of the remaining Hindus migrated to India.

Demographics + Hinduism in Sindh (1872–2023) Year Number Percent Increase Growth Source(s) 1872 475,848 - - 1881 544,848 -0.27% +14.50% 1891 674,371 +1.02% +23.77% 1901 787,683 +0.65% +16.80% 1911 877,313 +0.37% +11.38% 1921 876,629 +1.77% -0.08% 1931 1,055,119 +0.41% +20.36% 1941 1,279,530 +0.78% +21.27% 1951 482,560 -18.45% -62.29% 1961 568,530 -1.34% +17.82% 1972 815,452 -0.88% +43.43% 1981 1,221,961 +0.66% +49.85% 1998 2,280,842 +1.07% +86.65% 2017 4,176,986 +1.24% +83.13% 2023 4,901,407 +0.08% +17.34%

Colonial era + Hindus in the administrative divisions that compose the contemporary Sindh region (1872–1941)District or Princely State18721881189119011911192119311941 Hyderabad District 163,222 159,515 204,785 242,692 246,008 160,211 198,684 245,849 Shikarpur District/Sukkur District 147,224 167,896 185,813 218,829 155,156 148,188 177,467 195,458 Tharparkar District 84,112 93,094 132,468 151,726 196,793 176,026 218,850 247,496 Karachi District 72,513 82,860 103,589 115,240 111,748 138,485 162,111 222,597 Upper Sind Frontier District 8,777 14,756 18,816 22,765 26,495 23,855 29,174 28,664 Khairpur State 26,727 28,900 36,431 39,426 35,362 39,894 49,604 Larkana District 101,687 97,154 113,040 91,062 Nawabshah District 97,348 115,899 140,428 Dadu District 58,372 Total Hindus 475,848 544,848 674,371 787,683 877,313 876,629 1,055,119 1,279,530 Total Population 2,192,415 2,542,976 3,003,711 3,410,223 3,737,223 3,472,508 4,114,253 4,840,795

+ Hindus in urban Sindh (1881–1941)Urban area1881189119011911192119311941 Karachi 29,398 44,651 48,169 66,253 100,867 120,730 192,867 Shikarpur 25,942 25,852 31,589 35,171 34,569 39,605 40,680 Hyderabad 25,838 33,559 43,499 49,732 55,176 70,404 96,625 Sukkur 12,838 16,945 19,313 21,392 25,368 38,890 46,467 Larkana 5,779 6,422 8,314 9,601 10,727 15,696 19,949 Jacobabad 4,744 5,473 4,762 6,339 5,244 7,850 11,561 Rohri 5,272 5,276 5,971 6,782 6,314 9,709 10,460 Thatta 4,348 4,148 5,598 5,644 3,980 4,442 4,055 Garhi Yasin 3,147 3,606 4,068 4,312 3,826 4,295 5,426 Kotri 2,685 2,340 2,279 2,338 2,635 3,527 4,538 Qambar 1,858 1,999 1,525 2,302 2,475 3,421 5,361 Matiari 809 1,058 1,403 1,449 1,117 1,778 1,575 Tando Adam Khan 3,353 6,187 7,550 9,315 10,206 14,049 Khairpur 2,862 5,138 5,269 5,046 3,855 7,786 Umerkot 2,768 3,884 3,274 3,140 2,850 3,218 Mithi 2,660 2,448 Tando Allahyar 2,566 2,843 2,856 3,664 3,676 6,622 Sehwan 2,127 2,477 2,223 1,928 2,007 2,145 Tando Muhammad Khan 2,044 2,462 2,583 2,795 3,676 5,748 Ghotki 1,937 2,349 2,236 2,176 3,142 3,701 Hala 1,715 1,596 2,047 2,137 2,283 2,597 Ratodero 1,559 2,105 2,963 3,303 4,677 7,515 Naserpur 1,087 1,374 1,552 1,541 1,510 1,279 Manjhand 1,847 1,817 1,832 1,492 1,972 Bubak 1,829 1,777 1,684 1,697 Mirpur Khas 1,783 3,494 4,155 7,274 13,947 Keti Bandar 958 753 710 822 Shahdadpur 3,751 5,881 9,782 Nawabshah 1,709 4,237 12,048 Dadu 3,023 5,601 Gambat 2,317 2,897 TotalUrban Hindus 122,658 176,007 215,770 251,709 301,184 385,001 540,471 TotalUrban Sindh Population 260,842 348,535 411,369 466,895 562,319 717,175 914,106

Modern era In the 2023 census, Sindh's 4.9 million Hindus were 8.8 percent of the province's population; this included 1,325,559 (2.38 percent) scheduled-caste Hindus. However, the proportion of scheduled caste Hindus is actually higher as they categorize themselves as Hindus in the census rather than as Scheduled Caste Hindu. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, voters who said that they were Hindu were 49 percent of the total in Umerkot and 46 percent in Tharparkar. According to voter estimates, Hindus have a population of 50,000 or more in 11 districts. All are in Sindh, except for Punjab's Rahim Yar Khan District.

Sindh also has Pakistan's highest percentage of Hindus overall, accounting for 8.8% of the population, roughly around 4.9 million people, and 13.3% of the province's rural population as per 2023 Pakistani census report. These numbers also include the scheduled caste population, which stands at 1.7% of the total in Sindh (or 3.1% in rural areas), and is believed to have been under-reported, with some community members instead counted under the main Hindu category. Although, Pakistan Hindu Council claimed that there are 6,842,526 Hindus living in Sindh Province covering around 14.29% of the region's population. A big part of the Hindu population in Sindh is landless bonded labour producing hugely profitable cash crops such as sugar cane. Hindu landless bonded labourers remain illiterate and suffer from abject poverty.

Umerkot District (54.66 percent), in Sindh, is Pakistan's only Hindu-majority district. The province's Tharparkar District has the highest district Hindu population. Four Sindh districts (Umerkot, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar) account for more than half of the country's Hindu population.

+ Hindus in the administrative divisions in Sindh (1951–2023)District195120172023 Tharparkar District 277,626 714,698 811,507 Hyderabad District 79,566 180,926 202,368 Sukkur District 32,324 52,902 59,032 Nawabshah DistrictShaheed Benazirabad District 30,066 62,316 82,817 Karachi Federal Capital Territory 18,053 Upper Sind Frontier District/Jacobabad District 16,595 21,712 22,203 Khairpur State/Khairpur District 10,382 66,489 75,407 Larkana District 8,375 22,116 25,794 Dadu District 4,863 8,984 11,199 Thatta District 4,710 29,832 31,649 Mirpur Khas District 582,879 697,318 Umerkot District 559,824 633,114 Sanghar District 446,737 564,648 Badin District 426,142 488,523 Tando Allahyar District 286,537 337,403 Tando Muhammad Khan District 150,653 174,105 Matiari District 128,267 153,170 Ghotki District 101,974 111,770 Karachi South District 71,031 98,772 Karachi East District 39,590 61,590 Jamshoro District 38,510 53,129 Kashmore District 35,122 39,667 Malir District 34,125 40,190 Naushahro Feroze District 26,464 28,978 Sujawal District 22,720 22,247 Shikarpur District 17,246 20,885 Karachi West District 15,392 7,849 Korangi District 12,144 13,896 Karachi Central District 11,691 12,184 Qambar Shahdadkot District 9,963 9,785 Keamari District 10,208 Total Hindus 482,560 4,176,986 4,901,407 Total responses 6,047,748 47,854,510 55,638,409 Total population 6,054,474 47,854,510 55,696,147

Traditions

Many Hindusespecially in Sindh's rural areasfollow the teachings of 14th-century Ramdev Pir, whose main temple (Shri Ramdev Pir temple) is in Tando Allahyar. A growing number of urban Hindu youth in Pakistan associate themselves with ISKCON. ISKCON also holds Rathyatra every year in Karachi since 2015. Other communities worship mother goddesses, their clan (or family) patrons.

Many Hindus in Sindh revere Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and Sikh gurus, along with the Hindu gods. A large percentage of Sindhi Hindus consider themselves Nanakpanthi. Sri Chand who is the eldest son of Guru Nanak and founder of Udasi sect is also revered whose main shrine Sri Chand Darbar is in Thatta city.

Hindus in Sindh also revere sufi saints like Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar etc with high regards. Apart from these other lesser known sufi saints like Jam Lohar are also venerated. The Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai had visited the Hinglaj Mata temple and also mentioned about the shrine in Sur Ramkali. There is a legend that the Shah Abdul Latin Bhittai took on the arduous journey to visit the Hinglaj Mata Mandir to pay tribute to the Hinglaj Mata and offered milk to the Hinglaj Mata. It is also believed that after he offered the milk, the Hinglaj Mata appeared in front of him.

Sindhi Hindus who cannot afford travel to India to release their loved ones' remains into the Ganges go to Churrio Jabal Durga Mata Temple in Nagarparkar.

Issues

According to a study, most scheduled-caste Hindus (91.5 percent) in the province's Tharparkar and Umerkot Districts faced discrimination and believed that its political parties are ignoring them. Forced conversion of Hindu girls is a major problem faced by Hindus in Sindh, with an increased number of cases in the southern districts of Tharparkar, Umerkot and Mirpur Khas. According to the 2026 UN analysis, about 80% of the forced conversion cases in Pakistan happened in the Sindh province. Sindh is Pakistan's only province with a separate law governing Hindu marriages.

In Politics Ten seats are reserved for minorities in the provincial assembly. In 2018, the Sindhi Krishna Kumari Kohli was the first Hindu to win a women's reserved seat in the Senate. In the 2018 general election, Mahesh Kumar Malani (representing Tharparkar-II) was the first Hindu candidate to win a general seat in the National Assembly of Pakistan. In the 2018 provincial assembly election, Hari Ram Kishori Lal and Giyan Chand Essrani were the first non-Muslims to win a general seat (non-reserved) in a provincial-assembly election.

Temples

Hinduism in Sindh

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